Quang Dung Nguyen

Nguyen Quang Dung's father is a Vietnamese famous writer, Nguyen Quang Sang. Growing up among his father's friends, including composer Trinh Cong Son, director Hong Sen, Dung learned from them about music, movies and art at the time people in Vietnam tried to survive after the war. In 1999, he graduated from Ho Chi Minh city's Films and Theater college's first Directing class. Among his classmates are Vu Ngoc Dang (who is one of the most famous new generation directors in Vietnam), Thai Hoa, Vo Tan Binh. He directed his first feature-length TV movie called Con Ga Trong (Rooster), adapted from his father's short story. A year later, he composed soundtrack for the first private-owned studio movie in Vietnam, Nhung Co Gai Chan Dai (Long Legged Girls, 2005, directed by Vu Ngoc Dang). At the time, people start calling him Dung Khùng (Dung "crazy". He explained his nickname differently from time to time in his interviews. Sometimes, he said because his crazy ideas that people think he's crazy, sometimes he said because he dares to do things people don't so they think he's crazy. He directed his first theatrical feature in 2005, Hon Truong Ba, Da Hang Thit (Truong Ba's soul in Butcher's body, 2005). In spite of the expecting of a big hit, the movie failed at the box office because of bad reviews from film critics. However, movie-fans from online community love this movie. Understanding his audiences after his first failure, Nguyen Quang Dung makes three big hits movie back to back - Nu Hon Than Chet (A Kiss of Death), its sequel Giai Cuu Than Chet (Rescue The Death) and Nhung Nu Hon Ruc Ro (Bright Kisses) - the first Vietnamese commercial musical. These movies all top box-office, the later broke the previous's record at the box office. Not only success in film, Nguyen Quang Dung is also well-known as music show producer, television game-show director, Vietnam's idol judge, music composer and magazine columnist. Meanwhile, Dung is directing and producing MTV Vietnam channel. He's also prepping for his next feature, a period female martial art piece.